1940’s: Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID) became available. The first UK publication of a modern account of what was then called ‘Artificial Insemination by Donor’ (AID) was produced in the British Medical Journal. The doctor behind the research, Mary Barton, was vilified in the press and condemned worldwide. Dr. Mary Barton stated that over a period of five years about 300 children had been conceived as a result of artificial insemination.
1940’s and 1950’s: AID was carried out discreetly by private medical practitioners. It was decided that it was best to leave unregulated. Parents were told to never tell anyone, not even the child. (This practice of secrecy continued on for decades)
1953: The first successful human pregnancy with frozen spermatozoa was reported in 1953.
1970’s: The sperm banking business becomes popular and commercialised.
1978: The birth of the first “test tube” baby, Louise Brown.
1984: The Warnock Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Human Fertilisation and Embryology.
1990: The Human Fertility and Embryology (HF&E) Act introduced.
1991: Donor conception remained unregulated in the UK until this date. UK government agreed to fund a register service in recognition that anyone affected prior to legislation being introduced on 1st August 1991, which included Dr Joanna Rose, would not benefit from proposals to lift anonymity as the law did not cover medical records kept prior to that. All information on fertility treatments involving a donor since 1 August 1991 is held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
1997: Donor Conceived adults approach the human rights organisation ‘Liberty’ who built a case for establishing identity rights for donor conceived people.
2002: ‘Liberty’ case finally brought before the court in 2002 with Dr Joanna Rose and EM, a child (who could not be named because of her age) as joint petitioners.
2004: UK DonorLink (UKDL) was set up.
2005: Donor anonymity is removed for all those conceived after 1 April 2005. When they turn 18, they have the right to find out the identity of their donor. Anyone who was conceived before this date also has the right to learn the identity of their donor (on request) if their donor comes forward and re-registers as willing to be identified
2009: Equality Act of 2009 came in, allowing greater access to fertility treatment for single people and same sex couples.
2013: UK DonorLink passed to the National Gamete Donation Trust and renamed the Donor Conceived Register (DCR).
2018: The responsibility for funding the DCR was switched to the Human Fertility and Embrology Authority (HFEA).
2019: The responsibility for funding the DCR was switched to the Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LWHT).
2022: UK law is changed so statutory storage limits for gametes and embryos is increased to a maximum of 55 years. This will potentially mean DCP having half siblings that are 55 years older than them.
2023: The first people to be conceived in 2005, the ‘Open ID’ cohort, reached 18 years old in Autumn 2023 and are able to access basic identifying information about their Donor, such as their donor’s full name, any previous names, date of birth and last known postal address.
2024: Donor Conceived UK is created in January 2024 following a Consultation with Donor Conceived people in the UK.